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The Importance of Medication Management

The main reason individuals take medication is to improve quality of life. However, if you are not feeling well or taking multiple medications, remembering to take the right medications at the right times can be difficult. If medications aren't taken properly, quality of life does not improve, and in many cases, it declines.

This is where medication management comes in; it can assist in getting the right prescriptions to the right individuals, and ensure they are taken at the right time. But there’s a whole lot more to medication management…

Why Use Medication Management?

According to research, non-adherence to proper medication administration has a drastic impact on overall healthcare costs.

It is estimated that on average, 50% of patients in the U.S. do not take their medications correctly. Nearly 33% never fill their first prescription at all.

An average of 700,000 people experience adverse reactions to their medications that land them in the emergency room.

A whopping $290 billion is the estimated cost each year of patients failing to take their medications properly.

Expert medical personnel who help individuals manage medications contribute to an individual’s improved quality of life, as well as ensure a person's safety. Medication management services contribute to:

Improved patient use and administration of all medications

Improved percentage of patients meeting their health care goals

Reduced side effects and duplication, as well as drug interactions, of all medications

Decreased medical costs in the form of fewer emergency room visits and hospitalizations due to incorrect dosing or neglecting to take prescribed medications.

What is Medication Management?

Medication management is a service designed to help individuals manage their medications so they take them on time, all the time, and avoid the dangers of incorrect medication administration. This service is often used in assisted living settings and senior living communities.

For some people, simply using an over-the-counter reminder device is sufficient in making sure they take their medications as prescribed, but for others, more advanced, consistent reminders and help is necessary. In many assisted living settings, residents receive medication management services from trained licensed and unlicensed staff to ensure all prescriptions are filled on time and all medications are taken correctly on a daily basis.

Benefits of Medication Management

As America's older population continues to grow, the need for quality medication management services does too. It is an important tool for ensuring the health of these individuals as well as managing their health care costs. Benefits of providing medication management for this population include:

Better outcomes for older adults.

Less stress for the patients and their families. Everyone can be comfortable knowing medications are being distributed and taken correctly.

Less money spent on related health care costs such as emergency room visits and hospital stays

Reduced illnesses and deaths due to medication noncompliance or drug interactions

Whether someone neglects to take their medications properly because they forget or think they don't need it, the fact is, failing to do so can lead to serious consequences. Through medication management, individuals get the medications they need, on time, every single day. Their quality of life improves immensely and everyone involved is able to worry less about the health of their loved ones.

Medication management is a helpful tool used in many senior living communities to ensure individuals are able to lead a healthy, happy, full life.

Written by Anneliese Peterson

As the Vice President of Operations, Anneliese Peterson manages the operations and services provided by Walker Methodist’s housing communities. This includes providing leadership and vision for each site in their effort to offer the highest quality customer service.